Always and After
by Lexiconiful
Summary: Completed! A continuation of the last scene between Castle and Beckett in the last episode of season 4, "Always", and into the morning of 5x01. Spoiler alert! Romantic, steamy, touching, and sometimes funny. I do not own Castle or it's characters.
1. Chapter 1

**The first chapter is a recap of their last scene in "Always" . The following chapters will fill in the gaps of what happened that night. Enjoy and don't forget to review!**

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Castle deleted the murderboard from the smartscreen. He felt hollow and angry, helpless at the choice Beckett had made, knowing he couldn't stop, or save her. But he could do this. He could stop trying to pretend that he had any control or influence over Beckett. Over the fate that she was inviting.

He looked up, suprised, when the doorbell rang. He opened the door and slid right back into righteous anger and misery as he faced Beckett. He didn't want to deal with her tonight. "Beckett, what do you want?"

Kate stood there, the rain water pooling around her feet, as she found her courage in the ravages of his face.

"You," she stated simply. She stepped inside and pushed him back. Her hands moved to his face as she rose on her toes to kiss him.

Ric stood poleaxed, stunned into inaction as Kate pressed her lips to his. His anger and his mind wiped clean for the moment, all he could was hold onto her shoulders and try to find his breath as she lifted her lips from his.

"I'm sorry, Castle." She quelled the panic she felt that he hadn't kissed her back as she touched her forehead to his, apologizing for her accusations of betrayal, for her reckless determination without considering him. "I'm so sorry." She cupped his face in her hands, knowing she was also apologizing for the past year and what she'd put him through. "I'm so sorry."

Rick closed his eyes as she kissed him once again. He could hear his breathing getting choppy as he responded to her touch, but his mind was catching up to the moment, promising though it was. He pushed her back as she reached for him, making her look him in the eyes. He could feel himself soften as he watched a lone tear track down her cheek. "What happened?"

There he was, she thought with relief. Her Rick. Not the angry stranger who'd answered the door. "He got away and I didn't care." She saw the import of that statement on his face. "I almost died tonight on that rooftop and all I could think about was you."

She stepped forward once again and reached up tentatively for a kiss, keeping her eyes open as she gauged her welcome."I just want you."

Castle stared into her eyes, looking for the truth of it, the promise of what she was saying. And what he saw shattered the wall he'd begun to build around his heart.

He grabbed her by her shoulders and kissed her with all the love, fear, and frustration he'd carried with him since he'd said goodbye. He wasn't even aware of moving until they slammed against the front door, shutting it closed. Even that barely blipped on his radar. Their last kiss had just been a ploy to rescue Ryan and Esposito and it had easily been one of the best moments of his life.

But this...even he couldn't write a kiss like this. There weren't enough adjectives in the English language to do it justice.

Oh, thank god. Kate closed her eyes as passion and relief flooded her system. He still wanted her. She'd never had anyone kiss her like this before. She could feel his own relief and desperation as he kept her pinned to the door and drove her crazy with his mouth against her skin.

He couldn't get close enough. He relished the feel of her pressed against him, the taste of her, the heat of her a dizzying contrast against the cold wetness of her clothes. He wanted all of her at once and couldn't keep his hands from either running over her or clutching her to him.

They pulled back a fraction when Castle slowly unbuttoned her shirt, running his hands along her collar bone and down, separating the edges until both her bra and her wound were visible.

Kate watched him as he gazed at the bullet scar on her sternum. She knew he was thinking about losing her...and loving her. To help bring him back to the present, she took one of his big hands and placed them at the sides of her breasts even as she touched his face, leaning in for a slow, sweet kiss and bringing him back to her.

She pulled back and smiled at him. He looked back at her, dazed. So serious, she thought. Like he couldn't quite believe this was real. Well, she could fix that.

With one last kiss and a smile, she took one of his hands and wove their fingers together, then stepped away to lead him to his bedroom.


	2. Chapter 2

**Round one. Two more to follow. Thanks for reviewing.**

-–

Castle followed where she led, docile and dazed. Having her show up like this after their conversation, after he'd truly given up and started to grieve, felt like a sucker punch to his soul.

A good sucker punch...but still.

Kate stopped by the side of his bed and let go of his hand as she turned to face him. She stifled a laugh as she watched him deliberately pinch himself. "This is real, Castle," she assured him with a smile as she slowly finished unbuttoning her shirt and shrugged it off.

"I should still check to make sure," Castle moved towards her, but stopped when she held up a finger.

"Watch."

He nodded, his eyes transfixed as she made a slow show of kicking off her shoes. "Oh, I'm watching," he said gruffly. "But if you were looking for any kind of talking from me, I'm about to loose that particular function." He watched as she drew her pants slowly down her legs. "Really soon."

Kate smiled as she stepped of her pants. "I don't need words, Castle. Not right now." She walked up to him clad only in her underwear and began to unbutton his shirt that was still wet from their embrace by the door.

She pushed the shirt off of his shoulders and glanced up at him, expecting him to be ogling her scantily clad figure. Instead, she found him staring at her face. "Rick?"

His hand came up and cupped her cheek, tilting it up more so that he could lean in and gently kiss her. "This isn't a dream, is it?" He said worriedly.

Kate wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him close and making sure that he felt every one of her curves against his bare chest. "It's not a dream, Castle," she said with a smile and returned his soft kiss.

A kiss that quickly went from soft to devouring, and this time it was his back that was shoved up against the door. Rick didn't know where to put his hands. Okay, he knew, but was like handing a fork to a starving man at a buffet and asking what he wanted first.

Kate tunneled her hands through his hair, tugging a bit in demand. That seemed to shake him out of it and his arms went around her, gathering her even closer. They both moaned as his big hands swept from her shoulders and down her back to palm her rear through her panties.

Kate pulled away and rested her forehead against his chest as she panted. She smiled as Rick, breathing just as hard, rested his cheek on the top of her head and kept his hands on her ass.

"Rick," she whispered, pressing small kisses over to his nipple.

He lifted his head and rested it against the door. He shuddered at the feel of her mouth against him and drew his hands up to span her rib cage. He ran both of his thumbs delicately under the wire of her bra. "Yeah?"

She closed her eyes as his hands made larger forays into her bra so that nothing was between him and the soft weight of her breasts. His thumbs brushing over both nipples had her nipping his chest then laving her tongue over the mark. He obviously liked that, given the way his hands involuntarily squeezed.

Gasping a little, she continued nuzzling his chest as her hands mapped the breadth of his shoulders and back. "Take off your pants."

Rick slowly withdrew his hands from her chest then moved to the clasp of her bra. "I'm busy," he murmured against her neck. "How about you help me out with that."

Kate chuckled and reached between them just as Rick got the clasp undone. She paused a moment to shrug it off, earning a heartfelt groan from him, then returned to his pants. She got as far as lowering his zipper, making sure to brush against the hardness behind it, when Rick wrapped his arms around her and lifted her right off of her feet, holding her high against his chest so that he could kiss her once again.

Rick had tried to be patient, he'd wanted to wallow in every second he had with her tonight. But the feel of her against him, silky limbs and pebbled nipples, fingers clenched in his hair and her legs around his waist, drove him straight past patient and into desperation. Holding her tighter, he walked them towards the bed until his knees touched the mattress. He lowered them both to the mattress and held her closer, kissed her more slowly and deeper as he reveled in the reality of her. As he loved her.

Kate couldn't breathe and she didn't care. He kissed her like he couldn't stand not to. His lips, his tongue, the hand that he buried in her hair to tilt her head back further, it made her lose her mind. Her hands finally unclenched from his hair to clutch at his sweat-sheeted shoulders, his back, anything that might ground her.

Then there was the delicious weight of him holding her down, his harder angles and even the fabric of the pants he still wore providing a constant friction against her softer frame. A slow roll of his hips had her gasping for air, turning her head away as she moaned his name.

Rick had to take a moment, and pressed his face into the curve of her neck, panting as he tried to slow down. The lithe movements of her body underneath him were both an agony and an ecstasy. The endless lengths of her legs encircled him, one around his waist and the other wrapped around a pants clad leg.

The pants definitely had to go. But first...

Rick pressed a hot, open-mouthed kiss against the curve of Kate's neck, smiling as it drew another sound from her throat. He slid down a bit and followed the line of her collarbone with his tongue, enjoying the faint sheen of sweat that now covered her chest. Her hands were clenched in his hair once more as he moved lower, deliberately not touching her with his lips as he wafted hot breath over her skin until he stopped over the pebbled peak of her breast. He stayed there for a moment, enjoying the anticipation as Kate gave his hair an impatient tug.

He smiled wickedly and placed a chaste kiss on the upper slope of her breast. "Did you want something, Kate?"

"Rick," she groaned, half complaining, half pleading. She pressed her head back against the mattress as he ran the tip if his nose slowly around her areole. She'd have called bullshit if anyone ever told her how amazing that would feel. But it wasn't enough. She tried tugging his head closer, but he just switched sides, making her curse out loud until he finally, finally pressed a kiss directly onto her nipple then sucked it into his mouth.

God, she was amazing. He'd imagined this moment countless times. He'd made meticulous plans as to what he'd do to every single inch of her if he got the chance, but the taste off her blanked his mind. He could only devour her, reveling in her cries and the sound of his name falling from her lips.

She was going to go insane. He was driving her insane. He was now making constant hungry sounds against her skin that did nothing but ratchet up already unbearable sensations. But he wouldn't move! If she didn't feel the insistent throb of him through his pants she'd have thought that he was nowhere near where she was. She had to do something!

Rick was thinking he couldn't take much more of this when Kate suddenly pulled a Kung Fu scissoring move that had him on his back with her straddling him. "That," he rasped out when he got his breath back, "was so hot."

"Yeah?" she panted, leaning forward as her hair fell in a curtain around their faces. "So is this." They exchanged another wet, tongue-tangling kiss that had Rick sitting up with her clutched to his chest and her grinding herself against his lap.

He pulled away suddenly and unceremoniously lifted her off of him. "Okay, seriously! We need to get naked."

She would have laughed if she wasn't so busy kicking out of her panties. Rick stood up and pushed his pants and boxers down in one movement. Kate raised up on her knees, seriously appreciating the view as he raided his bedside table for a condom.

"Ha!" Rick raised the Trojan in triumph and promptly lost his voice and all the feeling in his knees as he saw Kate kneeling there, a panting, golden, naked goddess. A goddess who raised her eyes from his erection to smile at him and take the condom from his hand.

They met at the edge of the bed, moving closer until they were pressed chest to chest. Rick brushed her hair off her cheek, caressing her face as he stared into her eyes, before he leaned in to kiss her.

At least that was the plan. As soon as she laid her soft hands on him he had to concentrate on not coming. He clenched his hands in her hair and pressed his forehead against hers as she took her time learning his dimensions before rolling the condom on him.

Kate wrapped her arms around Rick, making sure to snuggle his cock tight between them, and waited for him to pounce on her, but he held her tighter. "Rick?" She rubbed their noses together and lightly bit his lip, delighting in the groan that resulted. "I need you," she whispered against his mouth.

That did it.

Kate found herself on the bed once again as Rick attacked her mouth, her neck, anything he could reach. She returned the favor, her hands running over him, settling on his ass as she arched into him.

Rick raised his head to watch as he ran a hand down her stomach, pausing to run his thumb along the seam of where her leg met her torso, before he covered her with his palm. His eyes met hers as he caressed the few wet curls there before running a finger down the seam of her. They both moaned and suddenly they were kissing once again, panting as Rick slid two big fingers into the wet heat of her.

Crying out at the sensations, Kate grabbed at his wrist. "God! Castle, please!"

In hearty agreement, Rick slowly removed his hand, sliding it up her leg and urging it around his waist. They both stared down and watched as he found her and pushed in, slowly, only to stop when he was fully seated.

One of Kate's hand reached out, grabbing the sheets for purchase as every nerve in her body went haywire. He didn't thrust, but that didn't mean he didn't move, and whatever he was doing was making her lose her mind.

He watched her face as he rolled his hips, stroking himself inside her, uncovering nerves she didn't even know she had even as he pressed his pelvis against her, keeping steady pressure against her clit. The love he felt made every sensation sharper and deeper than he'd ever felt before. He wanted the same for her tonight, even if she didn't feel quite the same. But at least she already knew. That was another thing he could do now that she was in his arms.

"I love you, Kate."

Her eyes popped open and turned to meet his. He put his arms under her shoulders, lifting her up a bit as his hands moved into her hair. "I love you, Kate Beckett," he repeated softly and kissed the tears away that slipped down her cheeks as he began to move.

It felt so good to hear that, she thought hazily as she wrapped her arms around him, even if it was still scary as hell.

Kate arched into him as he moved faster and harder against her. She was vaguely aware of the sounds she was making as lightning moving up her spine, tightening her muscles, and speeding up her breath. Soon she was screaming, locked around Castle as her system imploded.

Rick gasped and squeezed his eyes shut as Kate let go. He kept moving, holding onto his control even as her orgasm clamped her internal muscles around him with rippling pulls. He waited until her head fell back, still resting in his hands, and her eyes opened. He thought he could wait longer, but when she whispered his name and pulled him closer for a long kiss, he lost his own hold and followed her over.

He came to with Kate running her hands through his hair as he rested his head on her chest. "Were you just saying my name over and over?"

She smiled down at him. He had't even opened his eyes to ask the question. "It seemed appropriate," she teased. "You just said mine about a hundred times."

Castle raised up and propped himself on his elbows to look down at her. She looked utterly relaxed. Beautiful. "I'm so glad you're here." And happy. He gave her a kiss. "Can you stay?" He asked carefully, scared of spooking her.

She reached up and touched his face, overjoyed to see that all of the earlier sadness and angst gone. "I can stay."


	3. Chapter 3

Wrapped in a robe, Rick carried the tray into his bedroom and shut the door with his foot.

Kate had given him a rundown of what happened that night; how the shooter had kicked her ass and then left her hanging off the roof and how a suspension had turned into her turning in her badge.

She'd had to take a break from her rooftop narrative to calm Castle who'd alternated between yelling at her, "See! I told you!", and hugging her with an "Oh, thank God you're alright."

She'd told him how about how she'd thought of him when she was dangling on the edge and how all she could think of when Gates was chewing her out was how he'd been right. He'd been right about the case and what it had done to her. She'd touched his face as they sat facing each other cross legged on the bed, wrapped in sheets with their knees touching and told him she had realized what she had to lose.

The proceeding make out session had come to and quick and embarrassing conclusion when Beckett's stomach gurgled loudly into the quiet room. Castle gave a blushing Beckett a kiss on the top of her head as she hid her face against his chest and then went to get them some food while she took a quick shower.

He set the tray of food on the bed and smiled as he heard her come out of the bathroom. "I have for your enjoyment, leftovers from one high school graduate's small get-together from this earlier this evening - ow!" He rubbed his arm where Kate had punched him. "What was that for?"

One hand held around her towel closed as the other pointed back at the bathroom. "You could have told me you had a life-sized Bobba Fett in your bathroom, Castle." She took the wine he gingerly handed her. "It about gave me a heart attack."

"Ahh, but now you've met. The hard part is over. The hard part, of course, being me explaining that I have a life-sized Bobba Fett in my bathroom." He picked up the scotch he felt he richly deserved after hearing about Kate's brush with death tonight and clinked it against hers. "To us. It's about damn time."

"Cheers to that."

She sat on the bed and smiled at the mismatched fare he'd assembled. There were grapes and Brie along with cheez-its and Chinese dim sum. "All Alexis' favorites, huh?"

He sprawled out on the other side of the tray, propped his head on hand and started popping cheez-its into his mouth. "Yeah. My little girl," he sighed and gestured at the tray. "This is all that's left, actually. She'll be out aaaall night with her friends."

Kate laughed as he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

She picked up a grape and leaned over slowly, letting her towel gape a bit as she fed it to him. "And your mother was going to the Hamptons, right?"

"Uhh," his head fell off of his propping hand as he watched the towel slowly fall open. "Yeah. She'll be gone for a couple of days." He sat up so he could feed her some of the brie...and get a better view as the towel slipped a bit more.

The next half hour was what they both needed, a quiet moment of bonding that was full of long looks, chuckles, and soft touches. He 'accidentally' spilled some of his scotch and quickly requested the towel that she was half-wearing. She rolled her eyes, but handed it over. He ended up knocking over both their glasses until Kate grabbed a pillow to hug in front of her and block his view with a shy smirk.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He stood up and set the tray and the towel on the floor. "I didn't realize you felt shy. Maybe this will help."

Kate stretched out on her side and, keeping the pillow in front of her, bit her lip to stop the laugh as Castle slowly undid his robe, providing his own bow-chicka-wow-wow music all the while.

When he stood before her in all of his aroused glory, he put his hands on hips and raised his chin, superhero style. "That's right." He put his arms out and did a slow circle. "Take a moment to drink it all in."

Even though she was enjoying the view, she couldn't stop the snicker that escaped. She quickly raised the pillow to cover the lower part of her face.

Castle tsk-tsked and strutted over to the bed. He leaned over her and caged her in with his arms on either side of her. "Now, is that nice, Beckett," he teased with that voice she loved. "I'm just trying to make you more...," his eyes slid lasciviously down her pillow-covered front before coming back to her laughing eyes. "Comfortable," he murmured.

They had a short, giggling battle for the pillow before he tossed it over his shoulder and smiled down at her. "See, now you don't have to be shy because we're both naked. It's a win-win." He grinned as he stretched out beside her so that they we're facing each other. He loved making her laugh. "And if you don't mind," he took her hand and held it out, leaning back so he could see her from head to toe. "I'll need a few moments to drink it all in."

The laughter died in Kate's throat. She loved how he looked at her. She'd seen affection, tenderness, and yes, lust, in his expression for her before. She'd also seen the love, which had had her so scared for the past year...and hopeful. She saw all of that in his gaze now as he drank his fill.

She led the hand that still held hers to her cheek and let go as his eyes met hers. She smiled at him sweetly, not shy at all, but overwhelmed at the well of emotion she'd opened on purpose this night. She mirrored the move, cupping his cheek and hoping he could sense some of her feelings, even if she couldn't yet say them.

He could.

He closed his eyes and drew in a deep, cleansing breath. When he opened them he leaned forward to give her a soft kiss...right before he rolled her to her back, pinning her arms above her head with one hand. "I'm afraid that wasn't a long enough look, Beckett."

He leaned in and she opened her mouth, more than ready to kiss him back, but he pressed his lips to her forehead instead. He languidly kissed her cheek, her chin. "I'd like to take a few moments to...," he pecked the tip of her nose. "Say hello to all the various tidbits I've been longingly staring at the through the years."

Kate closed her eyes to better enjoy the sensation as Castle ran kisses along her jaw to her ear. "In any other circumstance that would have sounded really creepy," she teased, then gasped as he bit her earlobe.

"Hush," he gently stuck his tongue in her ear, delighting in her shivers. "Your interrupting my introductions." He nuzzled under her chin and ran his fingertips down her throat to dance along her collarbone. "It's so nice to meet you," he murmured to her neck. "I'm a big fan of your role in sweaters, as well as your work in v-necks."

Kate laughed even her toes curled. Rick had let go her hands so she could drop her arms… and so that he could better explore her shoulders. He apparently found her collarbone quite fascinating as he traced each line and hollow with his tongue. "Half the time you've caught me...noticing your frontal assets, I was actually admiring these."

He raised his head at her snort. "Okay, more like a quarter." He rolled his eyes as she have him a knowing look. "Fine, more like an eighth of the time." He scooted down until he literally had her boobs in his face. "But can you blame me?"

Rick covered her with both hands, smiling as her breathing changed along with her nipples as he ran his thumbs along the peaks. "I know we've already met," he intoned formally, speaking to her breasts. "But I really am your _biggest_ fan."

Kate had expected him use his mouth, hell, she was looking forward to it. But all he did was use his hands, learning the slopes of her, the heft, and the change of texture. A slow foray along the underside of her breast had her grabbing his sides, moaning as lightning hot sensation made her thighs clench.

Rick watched her with hooded eyes and did it again, this time to both breasts, making sure the roughest part of his fingers slid lightly across silken skin. "This is why it's important to take time for introductions," he explained, his own breath getting choppy as he watched her neck arch. "You learn all sorts of things you never knew."

Kate slid her hands over his back, loving the way his muscles bunched at the contact, and measured the hot breadth of his shoulders with her palms. She'd always admired his shoulders, how wide they were, how strong they looked. The sight of them moving down her torso had her moaning once again, even before he stuck his tongue in her navel. "Castle!" Her fingers dug into his shoulders.

He grinned up at her even as he rubbed his bristly chin against her mons, making her nails dig a little deeper. "Yes, Beckett?" He asked, all innocence.

"That's enough." She wanted that feeling again, the weight of him while he filled her. "Get up here."

"No can do." He ignored the hands that tried to tug him back up and instead moved lower, pinning one leg to the bed while he lifted the other to his shoulder. "I've got one more acquaintance that I have been...," he blew a breath of hot air over her curls and smiled as her hands clenched hard in his hair. "Aching to make."

She'd ached for it too, but never in her fantasies had Rick carried on a one-sided conversation with her muff in between nuzzling kisses and hot laves of his tongue. She loved the game, but even the pauses he took to speak soon became to much. She pulled his hair as she very nearly whined, "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

Rick didn't know how he had kept his power of speech in the first place. "Right. We'll talk later." He bent back to her, losing himself in her scent, the taste if her against his tongue, reveling in the sounds she made as feasted on her.

Kate twisted underneath him, trying to get away from the overwhelming pleasure even as she held him closer. He just held her tighter, groaning against her flesh as she got wetter and hotter until her whimpers changed to screams.

Castle pressed his face into her stomach and ran his hands soothingly along her sides until she calmed.

The hands that had pulled his hair now smoothed it out as Kate sighed in repletion. She dragged her nails along his scalp and smiled as he groaned. Nudging his head back, she grabbed his ears and gave a tug. "That was amazing," she told him and decided that for once he had earned that cocky grin. "But now will you get up here?"

She didn't have to ask twice. "Yes, ma'am."

They wrapped around each other, lips locked in feverish exploration. They rolled until Kate was on top. She sat up and watched his face as she pressed his dick between his stomach and all the wetness he'd brought about. She dragged up and down, panting as her flesh, sensitive from her orgasm, reacted to the friction and the long promise of him. His reaction was to squeeze his eyes shut, gritting his teeth together as he held her hips still against him.

She ran her hands over his chest, pressing with her nails as she tested the resiliency of his flesh, grinning as he groaned her name and tightened his grip on her hips. "It's okay, Rick." She nibbled on his chest and reached over to the nightstand to grab another condom. "This one's for you."

She moved down, straddling his thighs as she rolled the condom on him as slowly as possible. She looked up questioningly when he took her hand off of him. His eyes were still shut, but he had a finger up in the universal 'wait a second' gesture.

He blew out a careful breath and opened his eyes. "Just give me a minute to think about baseball, murder...anything." He ate her up with his eyes at the picture she made, rising over him with her warrior's body. His amazon. He closed his eyes again as that wasn't helping. "I don't want to go anywhere without you tonight."

"Aww, Castle." She leaned forward and kissed him softly. Then she took a hold of him once again.

"Oh, god, thank you, but that's not helping!"

Kate lowered herself down, taking him with one hot slide that had both of them groaning and panting. She then reached behind her and pressed on the one place that could get them both what they wanted. Then she started to move.

Rick had thought he wouldn't last another minute once he was inside her, but the steady pressure she applied to his perineum kept him with her. And even as the pleasure tightened his muscled to he point of pain, he was with her. He couldn't take his eyes off of her as she rocked against him, her head thrown back as she chased her own pleasure. He growled as her free hand swept up to squeeze her breast, raking nails over her nipples before moving down to make slow circles around her clit.

When he felt her tighten around him he held her hips and started to move against her, countering her movements as he moved harder and faster. She gasped and lost her grip on him, falling forward to catch herself against his chest so she could brace herself. "Rick!"

"Kate," he dragged her down the rest of the way and kissed her frantically. He could feel it boiling up, stealing his breath and his mind until all he could do was surge against her, muttering inarticulate words of love and lust along with her name until he came to his senses once again.

He still held Kate tight to his chest and the clutching pulse of her along his softening length, as well as the soft cries she made against his chest, made him realize that he hadn't left her behind after all. Rick tightened his arms and pulled her up until he could kiss her once again.

At least he tried. They were already too in need of oxygen to keep up the kiss for long, so he settled for burying his head in her hair as their heart and breathing rates went back to normal.

He ran a hand down her back once she resettled against him with her head tucked under his chin. "Okay, now _that_ was amazing," he drawled in a voice deep with satisfaction and sleepiness.

Kate made agreement noises in the back of her throat and drowsily cuddled closer to Rick. She smiled and rubbed her cheek against him as she felt him pull the covers over them. "I'm not too heavy?"

He wrapped his arms around her as he closed his eyes, already drifting into sleep. "You're perfect."

* * *

**That was round 2. One more to go!**


	4. Chapter 4

Kate slowly opened her eyes, disoriented for a moment as she stared into the darkness of the room, then smiled as Castle murmured to himself in his sleep behind her. She slipped out from under his arm and sat on the edge of the bed, yawning as she looked around for a clock. It was only 4am, but she had some business to attend to and she was about to die of thirst.

She came back into the room and set her water down on the side table before she carefully slipped back into bed. She turned on her side and watched him sleep with a tender look on her face. He'd had a couple of rough, momentous days and she still ached at the hurt she'd caused.

Her breath caught in her chest when he turned towards her, sighing her name in his sleep. She moved closer and carefully pushed the hair back that had fallen into his face, trying not to wake him, but unable not to touch him in some way.

Should have tried harder, she thought as his sleepy blues eyes blinked open. "Sorry," she whispered.

"Mmmm-hmm," Rick replied as he put his arm around her and pulled her closer. "You can play with my hair any time." He snuggled her in for a kiss. "Best alarm clock ever."

Kate wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. "It's still early, you know. You don't actually have to get up now."

Rick pulled back and grinned at her slyly. "Oh, no, no." He drew her leg over his hip and held her closer. "I'm 'up' now."

She dropped her head against his neck and snorted, even as she tightened her leg around his waist. "Really?"

"I'm sorry." He slid his hand leisurely over her ass, and it felt every bit as satiny smooth and fantastic as he'd always imagined. "I thought it was punny."

Another giggle and she was rubbing her nose against his. "Thank you, Castle."

"You're welcome," he murmured as he rolled them till she was on her back , his breathing getting faster as she wrapped her endless legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. "For what?"

She unwound her arms and snagged a condom, smiling at him as he raised up on his arms so she could roll it on him. Once it was on, she pulled him back down. "For letting me apologize, tonight. And…"

She lost the rest of her words as he slowly pushed in, not stopping until he was fully seated. He stayed still for a moment while she got used to him, enjoying the arch of her neck and the squeeze of her legs pulling him closer.

This time felt different somehow, Kate thought hazily. The near-frantic quality from earlier in the evening was gone from their movements. It was like he'd calmed some inner fear that this wasn't real. She felt the same way, and now, she could take her time and enjoy…everything.

Rick threaded his fingers through her hair and tipped her head back, kissing deep and long, over and over like he'd always wanted. In amidst all of the raunchy mental scenarios he'd had of Beckett, more than a few of his fantasies had been just about this; the heat of their breaths exchanging as their tongues twined together. Of course, he conceded, wincing from pleasure as he shifted inside her, this was even better.

Kate held on tighter to him as he rocked against her. She gasped out his name as they came up for air and he froze, staring at her face. She pulled at his shoulders when after a moment he still hadn't moved. "What's the matter," she panted.

"Say it again, Kate," he asked achingly, his voice so deep that she felt it more than heard it.

"Rick." She slid one hand from his shoulders to cup his jaw and closed the distance to kiss him. A soft press of lips, nearly chaste compared to what they'd shared moments before. She smiled into his eyes. "Castle."

The blue of his eyes turned impossibly deeper. He started moving again, long, slow slides that never ended. The look on his face  
was killing her; a cross between adoration and near tears. She said it again and again as he moved in her, loved her, sometimes sighing it and eventually sobbing it as he brought them both to the edge and over. Their movements ended as they began, locked in a kiss that fed the desire of their hearts and soul as well as their bodies.

Sometime later, Rick came back to bed with his own glass of water and paused to enjoy the sight of Beckett curled up asleep against her pillow. He sighed, exhausted but happy. He slipped into bed, scooting until they were pressed back to front with his arm around her. She didn't even move.

He kissed her head. She'd been so brave today in so many ways, his little warrior. He looked at the clock and revised that to yesterday. He worried about what that maze of a mind of hers would come with tomorrow; about them and what she'd do about her mom's killer.

Whatever it was, whatever she decided, he'd be there with her this time, he silently promised her. Castle closed his eyes and gave himself over to sleep. For always and after, he'd be there.

* * *

**Thank you for reading! Please take a moment to review.I love those things:-)**

**I also love suggestions on what you'd like to see written. Any scenes you wish they'd shown what happened? Send those my way.**


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